This application is an improvement of U.S. Patent Application entitled "Multiple-fold Automatic Umbrella with Simplified Grip" early filed by the same inventors of this application. However, the earlier application has the following drawbacks:
1. The push button 51 is seesawly pivotally mounted in the button hole in the grip 12 of the umbrella. Since an automatic umbrella is preferably shortened for making a compact foldable unit, the grip and the control means mounted in the grip should also be minimized to thereby greatly reduce the area of the depression surface on the button. When opening or closing the umbrella, it is very difficult or inconvenient to seesawly depress the upper button portion or the lower button portion on such a tiny area of the button depression surface.
2. Two sliding latches, i.e., the upper latch 12 and the lower latch 54, should be respectively slidably mounted on an upper portion and a lower portion of the grip 12 to increase the production cost, and maintenance problem of the umbrella.
The present inventors have found the drawbacks of the earlier U.S. Patent application and invented the present multiple-fold automatic umbrella with simplified control means.